Voltage-gated sodium channels are central to the generation of action potentials in all excitable cells such as neurons and myocytes. They play key roles in excitable tissue including brain, smooth muscles of the gastrointestinal tract, skeletal muscles, the peripheral nervous system, spinal cord and airway. As such they play key roles in a variety of disease states such as epilepsy, pain, ataxia, multiple sclerosis, irritable bowel disease, urinary incontinence and visceral pain, as well as an array of psychiatry dysfunctions such as anxiety and depression. The efficacy of sodium channel blockers currently utilized for the treatment of the disease states such as those described above have been to a large extent limited by a number of side effects. These side effects include various CNS disturbances such as blurred vision, dizziness, nausea, and sedation as well as more potentially life threatening cardiac arrhythmias and cardiac failure. Furthermore, the voltage-gated sodium channel family consists of 10 subtypes and many of the current sodium channel blockers do not distinguish among these subtypes. Accordingly, there remains a need to develop additional sodium channel inhibitors, preferably those with higher potency and fewer side effects. There is also a need to develop subtype selective sodium channel inhibitors.